Public procurement must not fall under the prime minister’s control, PN insists
Motion in parliament to repeal 'secret amendments'
Public procurement must not fall under the prime minister’s control, the Nationalist Party insisted on Monday as it gave notice of a motion in parliament to repeal 'secret amendment' to the law made by legal notice.
"The Partit Nazzjonalista strongly opposes recent amendments that grant excessive powers to the prime minister in public procurement procedures and insists on the need for good governance, transparency, and impartiality in these processes," the PN said.
"It is evident that these recent legal changes were introduced solely to give the prime minister greater control over appeals concerning the awarding of public contracts – often granted to individuals closely linked to the Labour Party. Notably, the prime minister is being granted further powers to appoint members to the Public Contracts Review Board (PCRB), the body responsible for reviewing decisions related to public procurement."
The party said a clear example of this was seen in the appointment of Richard Matrenza, a person with close ties to the Labour Party, as one of the supposedly independent members tasked with deciding on appeals involving public contracts – often worth millions of euros.
The Motion was submitted by PN MPs Claudette Buttigieg, Rebekah Borg, and Adrian Delia.
The PN also pointed to a recent case concerning the waste incinerator, where a court expressed concerns regarding conflicts of interest on the Review Board and even ordered the process to start anew. Despite this, the Labour government chose to ignore the ruling and proceeded with awarding the tender to the same consortium, clearly demonstrating the dangers of such amendments, the party said.
"We are now witnessing the government tightening its personal grip on the entire appeal process for public contracts, while undermining the Board’s ability to act independently."
Rather than introducing changes that compromise the independence of the Public Contracts Review Board, reforms should be made to strengthen its autonomy and impartiality, thereby ensuring the integrity of the public tendering process, the party insisted.